Hives!

April 25, 2008, 8:55 am
Filed Under random babbling | |

I’ve been out of commission lately because of some mysterious hives. Again. About 2 years ago I got hives on my hands with no idea of where they came from. They went away in a few days & everything was fine. Now they’re back & not letting up. I’ve had them for over 3 weeks now. Yes, 3 weeks, every day, I’ve had itcy, red, painful, burning hives on my hands, arms, neck, back, feet… It’s getting unbearable. Dog, you say? You think I’m allergic to the dog? I don’t know. The allergy doctor doesn’t seem to think it’s all about the dog or even the cat for that matter. Here’s my history so far:

2/14 we get Kip & I have no problems. We have him for a month & I never get a hive. 3/22 we get Sabrina. 4/2 hives appear. 4/12 I get post nasal drip. 4/19 I get a really bad cough. No one seems to think the cough is related (it’s not hives in my throat, my airway is not blocked, it seems to just be a cold. But that adds to my troubles. I can’t sleep because I’m coughing so much.) I’ve seen my regular doctor, the allergy doctor twice, had allergy skin testing, been on Benedryl, 2 different prescription antihistamines and loads & loads of prednisone, but the hives keep coming back. I’ve been trying to track what could have caused the hives & can’t come up with anything. My allergy skin testing showed only slight dog allergy. But I think there’s something about Sabrina that’s bringing on the hives. What, I’m not sure, but something, I think is what’s helping trigger them.

So do I get rid of the dog? I told the kids I wouldn’t. The allergy doctor didn’t even recommend that. You’d think with all the major medical advances they’d be able to treat me so I could still have a dog even if I was allergic. And the doctor says I’d be having more allergy symptoms if it was just the dog - you know, the typical nasal, scratchy throat, itchy eyes, etc. And I’ve had none of that. I’d post pictures of the hives, but I’m having a hard time getting a clear photo of myself. Trust me, they’re all over & look as bad as you think.

So here I sit, reluctant to even go to the gym, because I do notice that sweating makes them worse and because of my cough, I’m afraid to run too hard, and I’m waiting for the allergy doctor to call back. I’m hoping I can get a shot of something today so I can at least get through tomorrow. It’s Allison’s First Holy Communion tommorrow & I just don’t want to spend the day all red, blotchy & itching!


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